Johnny Herndon seeks Fremont County Commissioner District 1 seat

By RACHEL ALEXANDER alexanderr@ canoncitydailyrecord.com

Posted:
06/07/2012 09:31:59 PM MDT

Johnny Herndon

Johnny Herndon, 50, is running for the District 1 Fremont County Commissioner seat against Tim Payne. Herndon, the pastor at Valley Chapel, sat down with the Daily Record to answer some questions before the primary election ballots are due back to the County Clerk's office on June 26.

DR: What is something that, in your view, the county needs to do more of or do better?

JH: Whatever it takes to stimulate economic growth and ease the burden on people who simply live here in terms of like regulations, building things, planning and zoning things or other simple matters. We need, the county commissioners, absolutely need to lubricate the process for economic growth and development, period. And that may mean programs that enhance, and it may mean cutting back the red tape that detracts. I'm up for both. And though there are some efforts already in motion along those lines, I certainly want to jump on that bandwagon and do all that I can. Cause I'm for smaller government and less invasive policies in general.

DR: "Over The River" has passed. What thoughts or concerns do you have on the process of implementing the art project?

JH: Well, everything that the sheriff has expressed. Policing it, certainly, patrolling it. And the crowds, the projected potential crowds. So from a law enforcement perspective, it's shaping up to be a nightmare. And an expensive one. And the sheriff's as much as said there's only so far I can and will go.

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For various reasons, economic ones being on that list. And then the whole idea of the equipment being cantilevered over the side in order to do the drilling for the anchorage is somewhat of a concern. I mean, those road beds and bases and stuff may not be fragile in the terms that we think of when you drive your car over it, it's gonna be there another hundred years. But big heavy equipment vibrating and shaking and doing all this, there's no telling what damage could be done. And that's besides which it's gonna block traffic. Bottom line, the constituents up on the west end of the county, basically, I don't think were given the kind of consideration on account of traffic stoppage, blockage, inconvenience and all the rest of it, that they probably should have been. Those are real concerns. They were real all along I'm sure. They would definitely concern me. And I'm not sure the potential for economic gains for some justifies the potential for harm for others.

DR: What are your thoughts on the uranium industry in Fremont County?

JH: Well, it's a mixed bag of tricks, actually. I think any industry, mining and mineral-related for sure, needs to get to function. Now, the parameters around which it needs to function, we've got plenty of laws and regulations in place. The thing that concerns me is if someone bypasses those regulations to do something sneaky, especially where water's concerned. In other words, I'm all for it, but it had better be legal. And then if I were asked, and if these decisions came up to the county commissioners, then I would want to put, ask for, some provisions for property owners adjacent. So that, in the event that their property is no longer desirable for habitation, tourism, just pleasantness without seeing a big mining operation out your front door, that they would be given the opportunity to sell to the mining concern. But again, none of that would even be on the table unless all the permitting and everything else was done right down the line.

DR: Budget is always a concern for the county. How would you prioritize any future possible budget cuts? What would you consider cutting and what would you definitely protect?

JH: I am going to protect the sheriff's department, and I am going to protect the road and bridge department as first priorities. Because I think those are the primary and principal areas that we really are mandated constitutionally and otherwise to see to so that commerce and safety can go on in our county. And then after that, usually the shortfalls aren't going to be so much that you have to eliminate and entire deal. So after, you just have to say who needs what the most. You've got to be smart about this stuff. You've got to be more surgical and strategic, obviously, so the least harms come in otherwise difficult circumstances.

DR: What type of industry would you like to see come in to the county, especially in the industrial park, and how would you go about attracting those industries?

JH: We need to provide tax incentive-based stuff. Give them a waiver. Get the infrastructure in place, which of course, Florence and the Florence city manager is basically in charge of that, that's not a county problem, necessarily, other than to cooperate with Florence as they take in that ground. But having said that, incentivizing industry is the way it's done these days. You can't offer them scenic vistas and say come to us. It comes down to monetary bribery. 'We want your presence here, we want the tax base and we want the employment numbers.' And then basically let the free markets work, let the guys who know how to make money, get 'er done. I think incentivization is huge and getting our infrastructure up to speed is huge. And that is on us.

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